Gender

Understanding how crises affect women and men, girls and boys of different ages and disparities is critical to effective humanitarian preparedness and response. Women, girls, boys and men have distinct needs, priorities, responsibilities, limitations and protection needs. They are exposed to differential risks and vulnerabilities but also play unique and important roles in preparedness and in responding to emergencies, conflicts and building peace within their respective communities. Gender equality in humanitarian action is about better targeting and programming and therefore about effectiveness of humanitarian action reaching all segments of the affected population.

It makes a difference when a person is portrayed as a passive victim suffering from posttraumatic stress disorders, when really she or he is a survivor experiencing common emotional reactions to a highly stressful and dangerous situation.

Following the positive reception of OCHA’s set of 250 public domain humanitarian icons in 2012, the organization is releasing an extended and completely redesigned new collection in 2018 (295 and counting).

The original suite was developed because at OCHA we understand that during the response to an emergency it is critical to share and understand complex information in a timely fashion. Icons — with their easily accessible, universal visual language — are vital to achieve this.

Today, the Minister of Social Development of the State of Palestine, H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Al-Shaer, and the Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Jamie McGoldrick, launched the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for 2019 in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).

Peace processes often focus on how to share or split power between the political and military groups at the heart of the conflict, in order to accommodate the wider identity and political groups they represent. Arrangements for sharing or splitting power can focus on political institutions, economic arrangements, military arrangements, or territory (or different combinations of these).

Armed conflict, first and foremost, creates a challenge for personal safety and physical security. Other forms of security are also threatened, such as socio-economic security or legal security. Peace processes and the agreements they produce engage with a wide array of security issues, at all stages of the peace process. This brief will focus primarily on physical security – future references to security will mean physical security, although discussion will also touch on how physical security relates to other forms of security.

Muna Luqman, Co-founder of the Women Solidarity Network and Chairperson of the Yemeni foundation “Food For Humanity”, is sipping a cup of tepid filter coffee at WILPF’s secretariat in Geneva. It’s her second day in the Swiss city and the days have been busy with meetings and trainings. Together with her is Nisma Mansour, Field Coordinator for “Peace Track Initiative”, another Yemeni women-led NGO.

West and Central Africa’s (WCA) population is predominantly young. More than 64% are under the age of 24. Young people are a tremendous resource for the region – but their potential will only be realized when the right investments in their education, health, skills and empowerment are made.

Kabul, Afghanistan – More than 75 women members of Provincial Peace Councils (PPCs) met in Kabul today to plot a strategy to advocate for the interests of women in the peace process. Over 120 Promote Musharikat “Women in Peace” Coalition activists and influential religious leaders joined the conversation to review how women will be linked and consulted in the process, to assess PPC members’ negotiation and collaboration skills, and to plan how to most effectively advocate for women’s interests.

On the sidelines of the Sweden Consultations, the Yemeni Women’s Technical Advisory Group held meetings with the two parties as well as members of the diplomatic community and the Foreign Minister of Sweden, Ms. Margot Wallström.

The Technical Advisory Group discussed possible ways of bringing the voices of Yemeni women to the peace-making process. The Group has also engaged in presenting strategy papers and proposals that guide the Special Envoy in his mediation role to bring the war to an end.

On 10 December each year, human rights and development organizations celebrate international Human Rights Day. We release statements and organize events to reaffirm the importance of equality and social justice, and the centrality of basic human rights in any progress-seeking process. As we bid an eventful year farewell and gear up to the 70th anniversary of Human Rights Day, I wonder whether the calls we release for justice and dignity are starting to sound like cries from a top a mountain and into emptiness.